INSKIP — The Butte County Sheriff’s Office reports the family that went missing has been found.

The office received a call just before 1 a.m. Tuesday from the wife of missing Michael Mercado saying a local citizen found them and drove them home. No medical attention was needed, according to the caller.

Sheriff deputies confirmed they were home safe.

The search for Mercado, 25, and his two children, ages 2 and 7, continued through Monday afternoon, with teams searching snow-covered areas near Inskip, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Jeep that Mercado was driving was found unoccupied.

The Sheriff’s Office said it received a call about 1 a.m. Monday from a woman reporting her husband and children left for the Stirling City area about noon Sunday. She hadn’t heard from them since.

Deputies and Butte County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams responded to the area and began their search, with assistance from authorities in Yuba County, Nevada County, Cal Fire and the California Highway Patrol, among other organizations.

Four police dogs and two helicopters were used in the search, and investigators learned the father and children were seen driving their blue Jeep in the Inskip area Sunday. The Jeep, however, was found empty.

The search continued into Monday afternoon. Searchers utilized a Polaris Ranger utility vehicle to scour snow-covered areas near Inskip.